Corruption exposed in aircraft shelter project, Air Force logistics commander, SBU official detained
on Google
Editor's note: The article was updated at 11 p.m. local time with President Volodymyr Zelensky's reaction to the alleged embezzlement.
The Air Force's Logistics Commander and the head of a regional Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) were detained for embezzling from the budget allocated to the construction of aircraft shelters, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said on Feb. 25.
The suspects in the embezzlement scheme were caught "red-handed" while trying to illegally transfer the money, and $320,000 was seized from them, according to Kravchenko.
While Kravchenko refrained from identifying the officers, Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing its sources, that Andrii Ukrainets, the Air Force's Logistics Commander, and Volodymyr Kompanichenko, the head of the SBU directorate in Zhytomyr Oblast, were detained.
Kravchenko said the state allocated over $32 million for the construction of prefabricated arch structures in a May 2025 decision to protect aviation, but the SBU's Military Counterintelligence Department found "significant violations" during inspections.
The violations include designs that do not meet safety requirements, structures that inadequately provide aviation protection, and inflated costs of works, according to Kravchenko.
"Despite this, advance payments under the concluded contracts began to be transferred," Kravchenko said in a Facebook post.
The Air Force said it "categorically condemns" the alleged criminal offenses, expressing its readiness to cooperate with the investigating authorities and to provide all necessary information and documentation.
"Our highest principle is to maintain public trust in the Armed Forces and to be ready to respond immediately to any facts that could harm Ukraine's defense capability or the dignity of military personnel," the Air Force said in its Telegram post, pledging that it has taken measures to improve transparency of resource use and procurement procedures
Kravchenko said the two officers were detained under Article 208 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The Air Force's Logistics Commander allegedly asked the head of the regional SBU directorate to conceal the embezzlement and prevent the inspections, according to Kravcheko.
"The embezzlement of funds allocated for national defense during wartime constitutes a direct threat to national security," Kravchenko said.
"Accountability will be inevitable, regardless of the positions held."
President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the case, saying he had tasked Yevhenii Khmara and Oleksandr Poklad with "cleansing" the SBU of "those whose interests are not aligned with Ukraine at all," and that "results have already been achieved."
"Today, corresponding detentions took place, and it is very important that fair verdicts follow. Everyone in public office must work for Ukraine and for the sake of Ukraine. There will be no other option," Zelensky said.
The exposed embezzlement comes as Ukraine attempts to curb corruption, amid Western allies' scrutiny of their financial flows into the war-torn nation and Kyiv's requests for more support.
The SBU said in its statement that the funds allocated from the state budget were intended to build additional protections at "strategically important facilities," particularly airfields currently operating in Ukraine for the country's defense. The alleged embezzlement comes as Russia continues to regularly target military facilities across Ukraine, attacking them with missiles and drones.
"This is a critically important area of work, because corruption during wartime is tantamount to treason," the SBU cites the interim head of the agency, Yevhen Khmara, as saying.
"This is unacceptable, and we will continue to root it out without compromise."
